Album Review: Temple of Scorn - Funeral Altar Epiphanies
Reviewed by Sam Jones
One of the first albums I saw coming out in November that I was eyeing up, Temple Of Scorn, upon November 24th, release their upcoming debut album, Funeral Altar Epiphanies, through Transcending Obscurity Records. Formed in 2018 out of Midtjylland, Denmark, the band members themselves aren’t new here, having played in acts such as Horned Almighty, Dawn Of Demise and Baest. Releasing their first EP, in 2021, titled Preliminary Mass, the band were snapped up by Transcending Obscurity Records soon after and now, two years on and sporting a striking cover by Serbian artist Stefan Todorović, Temple Of Scorn are poised to stamp their name in the wide metal collective. So, let’s see what the Danes have for us this time.
From the first minutes of this record I can see why this band were picked up by Transcending Obscurity Records for, much like their retinue, Temple Of Scorn also exhibit a ruthless and darkly decrepit soundscape that only amplifies the death metal they play. The opening track, a brief atmospheric piece, is haunting even when the band don’t throw out a single riff or drum beat owing to the gradually climbing weight their ambience possesses. With an inclining choir and horns that only imbue this record with malevolence, Temple Of Scorn understand clearly how to get their audience engrossed before a note of songwriting has been performed. When the band do finally play, it’s a commanding, eye-opening deluge of violence that pulls us completely into their soundscape yet the guitar work has been rendered with a sheen and shine to its playing that gives Funeral Altar Epiphanies this misshapen, silky texture. It’s as if the band are slowly submerging us in blood; its hideous and putrid, but the fluid only climbs and envelops us u til there’s no body left to find.
Speaking of which, it truly is a satisfying album listen. We’ve seen death metal this year that’s been explosive, erratic, grating, fluidic etc but Temple Of Scorn have absolutely nailed the kind of songwriting that enables everything to come together into a seamless onslaught without it feeling overly mixed. There’s a rather organic, natural feeling to their performance, albeit evidently worked upon in the recording studio, yet one that feels very true to the band’s original intention going in when first conceiving this record. In this respect, it’s tough to separate each element the band bring to their performance since everything meshes so cleanly together. The riff work is brutal, harnessing a ripping aesthetic that easily shreds through us but it feels like it’s been buffed upon a vice to smooth out any potential defect or ridges that may interrupt the ride. Like travelling within a bullet train only to find the journey is utterly void of blemishes and shakes, Temple Of Scorn turn a death metal soundscape into a deliciously addicting sensation.
The guitar work has immense power flowing outwards but it’s more impressive that, in spite of the spotlight thrown upon the riffs, the drums are just as prevalent and mighty as anything else the band yet conjure. The band don’t wait long before the full scope of their power is laid bare yet when the drums are incorporated, and the blast beats are flying, the band take us to new heights of bliss. The drumming takes what was an already powerful record and imbue it with a blistering, boiling interior that’s effectively foaming at the mouth for release. Practically chained within the confines of the record, the drums crash with a ferocity that’s to be beheld; I can only imagine their drummer going absolutely ballistic upon his kit as he splays hand and feet across the full kit; the energy their drummer manages to throw out is astonishing. Cymbals are practically beaten as their resonance refuses to die out before the ext crash comes along, or the next bludgeoning of the Tom-Tom comes into force.
I think what truly aids the band here is they didn’t confine their sound within the four rudimentary walls. They chose not to limit themselves. They chose an album aesthetic that feels like the walls haven’t merely been punched through, they’ve been demolished altogether. When the songwriting and vocals are emanating themselves within the space, you feel the growing scale this record slowly reveals as everything moves, and continues to move, outwards seemingly without horizon. The fact that the riffs and songwriting is continuously purporting this notion, and thereby blinding us to the reaches of their sonic resonance, only makes this record sound all the greater. The band continuously populate this record with tracks beyond the six minute mark, absent of solos and freeform playing, and yet our engagement never begins to wane since the band are always reinforcing the monolithic grandeur their sound entails.
In conclusion, this is a wondrous debut from a band that clearly has something going for them. Their picking up onto Transcending Obscurity Records is an inspiring decision, seeing how the band’s dark nature flows so effortlessly through their performance. At just under forty minutes, Temple Of Scorn give us just enough material to enjoy without it feeling like they’re overstaying their presence; the sheer depth and scope their sound works with is immense, and it’s more amazing that they don’t include anything overtly superficial like a solo here or there. The entirety of the record is geared and written towards providing that devastating space which enables their riffs to move in every direction without hindrance. It’s no new concept that Danish death metal has been exploding lately, and now Temple Of Scorn are the latest act to be thrown amidst the vast repertoire now synonymous with this sort of the world. A band to watch out for, and a debut full length to immerse oneself in, when it’s unleashed come late November.
